I had a few requests for the recipe for the Cranberry Bliss Bars I had in Seattle and, after threatening to take her kids away, Heidi gave me the recipe.  Thanks Heids!

Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe:

Bars:

• 1 c. butter, very soft
• 1 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 t. orange extract (crucial!)
• 2 c. flour
• 1 ½ t. baking powder
• 1 t. ground ginger
• ¾ c. dried cranberries
• ¾ -1 c. broken up, chunked almond bark

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 10×15 bar pan by lining it with parchment paper or use a nonstick spray. With an electric mixer, beat together softened butter and sugars for 3-5 minutes until light; gently blend in eggs and orange extract (don’t overbeat eggs.) Add the flour, baking powder, ginger and beat briefly.  Add the cranberries and chunks of almond bark, stirring just until incorporated.  Spread thick batter in prepared 10×15 pan. Bake for 20-24 minutes until light brown at edges and a skewer tests clean.  DON’T OVERBAKE OR YOUR BARS WILL BE DRY!  Let it cool completely.

Frosting:

• 1 pkg. of cream cheese, softened
• 2 T butter, softened
• 3 c. powdered sugar
• 1 t. orange extract

Blend cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Add orange extract and powdered sugar and beat until frosting is fluffy and spreadable (add 1 t. milk, if needed.)  Spread evenly over COOLED bars.

Topping:

• 1/3 c. dried cranberries
• 1/3 c. almond bark, melted

Chop 1/3 c. dried cranberries coarsely; sprinkle over frosted bars.  Mix almond bark and 1 t. vegetable oil in a measuring cup.  Microwave 1 minute; stir until melted.  Use a fork or whisk to drizzle the white chocolate diagonally across the bars.  Allow one hour for the white chocolate to set before cutting.

These are seriously good!